Members' Centre

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost has been of the refurbishment of the e-Library to create a new Members' Centre in Portcullis House; what the cost has been of the new  (a) furnishings and  (b) technological equipment installed in the new Members' Centre; what the reasons were for the establishment of the new Members' Centre in Portcullis House; and whether a cost benefit analysis was carried out before the new Members' Centre in Portcullis House was commissioned.

Nick Harvey: The total cost of the refurbishment of the e-Library to create the Members' Centre was £33,100. The furnishings installed in the centre cost £25,900 and the technological equipment cost £12,200. The centre was established as a part of the response to Sir Kevin Tebbit's review of the management and services of the House. It is intended to help provide a more integrated and responsive service to hon. Members and to their staff across the range of the services provided by House Departments. Benefits were assessed against costs before the centre was commissioned, though no formal cost/benefit analysis was conducted. The extent of the centre's use, and the support it has received from hon. Members and their staff, albeit after just one week of operation, suggests that the centre will fully justify its costs.